Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 285

Chapter 285 The Fish Has Bitten The Bait

“Nothing. The fish took the bait,” Stella said lazily, as she leisurely scooped Lucas back from Sebastian.

Sebastian was stunned for a moment.

Lucas’s eyes sparkled the moment he realized he’d been rescued. He wrapped his arms around Stella’s neck, snuggling up to her and clinging tight, purring happily like a little kitten.

When he saw his stern-faced uncle, Lucas put on his most angelic look. He let out a mischievous giggle.

Allan asked, “The fish bit?”

Stella just nodded, her tone flat. “The chip Celia stole has already been paired with ConradBot-”

Big Ben, still stuck standing against the wall, turned its head and corrected seriously, “It’s called Little Trash!”

Stella finished the sentence without batting an eye, her voice lazy, “And the basic data’s all integrated.”

“How do you know that?” Allan asked, surprised.

Stella grinned, clearly not planning to answer. “Take a guess. When do you think Conrad Lab will go public with the news?”

She shot the question right back at him.

Allan hesitated for a couple of seconds. “Tomorrow?”

Sebastian’s face was cold, his eyes sharp with a killer’s edge. “Now.”

“Mr. Gray,” John popped back in, just in time to back up Sebastian’s words. “Conrad Lab just posted the news on their official accounts across all major platforms, both domestic and international.

“They’ve officially announced that their self-developed CoreOne Chip 1.0 has broken through all technical barriers and is now a success!”

Allan wondered, ‘Man, Conrad sure doesn’t waste any time, huh?’

John glanced up at Sebastian. “In two days, Conrad’s holding a press conference in Haliville to officially unveil CoreOne Chip 1.0 and their new home robot powered by it. The media’s already buzzing about it.”

Stella’s phone buzzed out of nowhere.

Lucas sweetly reached out his little hands and answered it for her.

It was an unknown number.

“Ms. Carter,” Conrad’s voice came through, full of smug satisfaction and a hint of a smile.

Stella replied, her tone calm and unhurried, “What do you want?”

Conrad said, “I thought you’d be the one to call me, Ms. Carter.”

Stella rolled her eyes and thought, ‘Is he out of his mind?’

Conrad said, “The invitation will be sent to the island soon. My smart robot’s breakthrough is all thanks to Big Ben, Ms. Carter. I hope you and Mr. Gray can show up in person and give me some face.”

He was basically laying his cards on the table, just one step away from flat-out saying the chip came from Big

Ben.

Big Ben, still stuck facing the wall, shot a dramatic eye roll.

“Aren’t you worried I’ll blow this whole thing up?” Stella’s voice was sharp, like she was ready to flip the table, but her face stayed as calm as ever, not a ripple of emotion.

The split between her words and her expression left Allan completely dumbstruck.

Just from her voice, Allan honestly thought Stella was about to cry her eyes out.

And then he saw her face and thought, ‘Is she running max-level roast mode right now?’

Conrad burst out laughing on the other end. “Ms. Carter, I’ve got the whole R&D record to prove it.

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Chapter 285 The Fish Has Bitten The Bait

“Even if Mr. Gray’s backing you up, tell me, do you really think the public will believe me, the guy who turned down Lab 709 and came back just to help our country break free from foreign control, or you, just a student?”

Stella didn’t bat an eye, but her voice was laced with mock outrage. “Y-You’re shameless!”

Lucas held the phone in one hand, his other arm wrapped around her neck as he snuggled up close. His eyes were all starry and adoring, looking so soft and cuddly, just asking to be hugged.

‘Stella’s so cute!’ Lucas thought. ‘She’s even cuter when she’s acting all mad!’

Conrad was practically bursting with pride, his ego about to explode. Ever since he’d tweaked and merged the data from the chip Celia stole, making it work flawlessly in his own robot, he knew he couldn’t lose now.

‘Honestly, it’s Stella’s own fault for being so young and bold. If you’re carrying treasure, of course, the wolves are going to be on the prowl.’ Conrad thought smugly.

Conrad said, “Got the best seats reserved for you!”

With that, he hung up.

Stella instantly wiped any trace of emotion from her face, then lazily met Sebastian’s gaze. “Conrad says he’s reserving the best seats for us in two days,” she said, her tone flat but loaded with biting sarcasm.

“Shameless!” Big Ben’s marshmallow-soft body wobbled with indignation, striking a dramatic pose with his fingers, absolutely furious.

Snowball couldn’t help but cover its eyes with the tip of its flexible tail. ‘Ugh, my poor eyes!’ Snowball thought.

Lucas raised his hand, trying to mimic Big Ben’s fancy finger pose, but Stella quickly covered his little hand with hers.

Stella said, “Don’t do that.” Her face twisted awkwardly.

“What’s wrong?” Big Ben, dressed up in a frilly maid outfit, blinked innocently and poked its fingers together, acting all adorable.

Stella, Sebastian, and Allan all rolled their eyes.

Lucas tilted his head, blinking in confusion.

Stella reached out to Big Ben, her face totally blank. Big Ben instantly hugged its chip slot protectively, its chubby cheeks scrunched up in a dramatic, pitiful pout. “No.”

Stella rolled her eyes again.

Allan, deadpan, asked, “Who said no?”

Big Ben blinked innocently. “Me!”

“Who?” Allan cupped a hand to his ear, pretending not to get it.

“Me! It’s me!” Big Ben piped up and shot its hand up.

“Gimme that!” With a loud snap, Allan didn’t even hesitate. He popped open the chip slot and pulled the chip right out!

Lucas just froze, wide-eyed in shock.

Allan handed it over, “Stella, here!”

‘Fine, whatever, Stella thought.

“I’m heading upstairs,” Stella said, taking the chip in one hand and carrying Lucas in the other as she walked toward the elevator. She stopped in her tracks when she passed Snowball and asked, “You not coming?” Snowball, who’d been stuck standing there the whole time, suddenly had its eyes welling up with tears. Snowball whimpered inwardly, ‘Wah, so touched! Feeling extra snakey right now!

The elevator doors slid shut.

Allan strolled over to Sebastian, one hand in his pocket, and gave him a casual pat on the shoulder. ‘Hey, at least Stella doesn’t smack you around at home, Allan thought.

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